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Cold sores flare up from time to time, but with some precaution, you can keep them away. Watch this video and learn about cold sore prevention.

Transcript: When Katie Holmes was photographed with a cold sore, the media had a field day mocking her. But there...

When Katie Holmes was photographed with a cold sore, the media had a field day mocking her. But there WERE folks who sympathized. If you were among them, you've probably had at least one cold sore. And it's likely you would do ANYTHING to avoid another. Cold sores, or oral herpes, are caused by a virus known as herpes simplex one, or HSV-1. A similar virus called HSV-2 is the culprit behind most cases of genital herpes, HSV-1's counterpart. Once they infect someone, both of these viruses are unfortunately incurable. Although HSV spends most of its time "sleeping" in the body, sometimes it will "wake up." When that happens, HSV will travel back to the sight of the initial infection-the lips, in this case. That's why cold sores come back again and again. The bad news--there is no way to "kill" HSV and no way to boot it permanently from your body. But there ARE measures you can take to prevent it from paying a visit. Most importantly, you should pinpoint what triggers your cold sore outbreaks and avoid those things. Common triggers include stress, fatigue, sunlight, getting the flu or a cold, allergies, menstruating, and even some cosmetic procedures. So take precautions: like using sunblock on your face AND your lips all year round which, I hope, you're doing anyway. You also need to take care of yourself, get plenty of sleep and carve out time to do things you enjoy. Try to avoid colds and the flu by meticulously washing your hands and getting a flu shot. If you already get cold sores and your partner also gets them, don't kiss when either of you has an outbreak. You should also refrain from sharing utensils, lip balm, cups, and definitely toothbrushes - (which you should never share anyway!) during an outbreak. But here's some good news: with your doctor's permission, you might be able to pop a supplement called L-Lysine to help prevent cold sores. It's an amino acid which may stop the herpes virus from replicating in the body. Many HSV-1 sufferers swear by it. And, L-Lysine is also found in foods like turkey, flounder, chicken, eggs, yogurt, cheese, and soy beans If you get cold sores, you might also want to cut back on foods like nuts, seeds, peas, and chocolate. These foods all contain lots of arginine, an amino acid that HELPS the herpes virus to multiply in the body. Don't freak out if you still get cold sores - just follow the advice in this video and - check out other videos in this series for in-the-moment treatment methods.